Joel’s Army For a few years now, so called “prophetic ministries” around the world have been supposedly shown by God that they would soon see the rise of "Joel's Army". Many of them have obviously interpreted this to mean an army of anointed ministries that God will raise up to bring in the great last-days "harvest" of souls. Todd Bentley even has tattoos of military dog tags that say "Joel's Army" on his lower neck, which he proudly displayed for the cameras.

According to Bill Hamon

The saints are being trained now in the military bases of international training centers and their local church armories. The goal is to have them taught, equipped and field trained to be the officers that lead God’s army of prophetic evangelist saints during the coming Saints Movement. They will minister under the covering and leadership of fivefold apostolic and prophetic generals who trained them. These saints will function like God’s army prophetically described by Prophet Joel (Joel 2:1-11). [1]

Whether there was an actual locust swarm which invaded Judah which would have represented an agricultural calamity, is the subject of some question. However an army of locusts is used by the prophet as a type of a yet future devastation when an army of something (or somebody) devours and destroys every good thing in the land causing unprecedented carnage, "such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come" (2:2).

Joel 2 calls this “exceedingly great” and “powerful” army of locusts “my great army, which I sent among you" (V.25). making it very clear that the locusts are a form of "judgment" upon God's own people. (Also see Deuteronomy 28:38-39, 42; 1 Kings 8:37)

"The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them... They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls; they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief... The LORD utters His voice before his army, for His host is exceedingly great; he that executes His word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it?" (Joel 2:3-11).

God’s judgment often took the form of foreign invading armies. At one time, Israel was divided into two kingdoms, a Northern and a Southern Kingdom. In 721 B.C., the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom, which comprised the ten tribes of Israel, and took them captive. The Babylonians conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah 135 years later, in 586 B.C. The Bible makes it clear that these invasions were not just random events but were allowed to happen. For example…[Emphasis Added]

O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. [Isaiah 10:5-6]

In turn, Assyria was warned by the prophet Jonah, to change their ways, which they did in one of the greatest stories of repentance in history. In response, God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it" (Jonah 3:10). However, after they reverted to their former cruel and bloodthirsty lifestyle they were destroyed (in 612 BC) by the Babylonians, Medes and Scythians, an event which was prophesized by the prophet Nahum and described by Will Durant in Our Oriental Heritage.

“Nineveh was laid waste as ruthlessly and completely as her kings had once ravaged Susa and Babylon; the city was put to the torch, the population was slaughtered or enslaved, and the palace so recently built by Ashurbanipal was sacked and destroyed. At one blow Assyria disappeared from history… Not a stone remained visible of all the temples with which Assyria's pious warriors had sought to beautify their greatest capital. Even Ashur, the everlasting god, was dead." [2].

[Please note here that the Old Testament often speaks of God doing things, when in fact it means He is allowing things to happen. If God's protection against enemies is removed, then what follows are the atrocities of war that happened in those days, and continues to happen in the 21st century. God predicts [See for example Isaiah 13:16 and Hosea 13:16] but does NOT command these acts of brutality. Therefore, they are not threats, but warnings… usually delivered by the prophets in an effort to get the people to repent. If the warnings are heeded then God stays His hand. However if the warning are ignored God will execute judgment, but does not take pleasure in it. [SeeThe Wrath of God]

But to return to Joel… Some of the wording in the book of Joel reminds me of the words of Nahum 2:4 … “The chariots rage in the streets; they rush to and fro in the broad ways: the appearance of them is like torches; they run like the lightnings”.

As mentioned by Adam Clarke, some believe that Joel 1:4… That which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker-worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten”, refers to the four major conquests of Israel by Gentile nations. Inasmuch as

1. The palmerworm… the Assyrians and Chaldeans.

2. The locust… the Medes and Persians.

3. The cankerworm… the Greeks (particularly Antiochus Epiphanes).

4. The caterpillar… the Romans.

Regardless of whether this view is correct or not, the fact remains that God always used an outside nation to invade the country under judgment. However and this is the really interesting part..

The Stench And Foul Smell Of Joel’s Army:NOTE VERY CAREFULLY what happens to the “locusts” in Joel’s prophecy… After their vicious attack, the Lord gives His people yet one more opportunity to repent..,

"Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments " [Joel 2:12-13]

Apparently some people do repent since Joel then says the Lord had pity on his people and drove the invading “army” into the sea, where they begin to rot…

"Then the LORD became jealous for His land, and had pity on His people. The LORD answered and said to His people, 'Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied;... I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his front into the eastern sea, and his rear into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things.'" [Joel 2:18-20].

This is followed by God restoring what the locust destroyed

" And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before.. The threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil. "Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you. [Joel 2:23-25]

Then comes the well known verse which prophesies a great 'last days' revival: It is only after they have wreaked their havoc and been driven into the sea, that God sends a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a mighty "harvest".

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions; and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. " [Joel 2:28].

Then, and then only then, comes the great and awesome day of the LORD or judgment on the whole earth, the end of the age, and the return of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom. [See Section on The Future]

"I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. "The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. [Vs. 30-31]

But What About the “Great Things” This Army Is Said To Do? And do not be fooled by Joel 2:20, which says this army of locusts “has done great things”.

The word used is the Hebrew gâdal, which according to Strong’s lexicon means to be (causatively make) large. To increase, lift up, magnify, boast etc. When this words is used of God, it describes His greatness, in goodness to His people, or in vengeance on their enemies.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing: Then said they among the nations, Jehovah hath done great things for them. [Psalm 126:2]

Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. [1Samuel 12:24]

And I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. [Ezekiel 38:23]

However when used of man the ‘great deeds’ are a result of man imagining himself (magnifying) to be far greater and more important than he is. His deeds stem from ambition and pride and more often than not lead to violence. For example

Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up him that is not wood. [Isaiah 10:15]

Her filthiness was in her skirts; she remembered not her latter end; Therefore is she come down wonderfully; she hath no comforter: Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction; for the enemy hath magnified himself. [Lamentations 1:9]

I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. [Zepheniah 2:8]

Daniel uses this word several times in connection with the evil of the end times…

And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all. [Daniel 11:36-37]

I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; and no beasts could stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and magnified himself. [Daniel 8:4]

(Speaking of the little horn) Yea, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and it took away from him the continual burnt-offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. [Daniel 8:11]

All of which is an amazingly accurate description of the Dominionists.

In an almost unbelievable display of delusions of grandeur, the Dominionist leadership believes they, the Manifest Sons Of God, are the last-day apostles and prophets… that they are a company of overcomers who when the mantle of Elijah falls on them, will be transfigured just as Jesus was transfigured. This will not only make them and their cohorts greater than Elijah, Elisha and all the prophets of the Old Testament, but their glory will actually exceed that of Jesus on the Mount. They also believe that they hold the key to Jesus’ return and on and on.. Ad Nauseum..

Truly they are doing “great things”.

A ThoughtDoes anyone remember the verses in scripture that talk of the “Falling Away” when some will give “heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons”? Ding! Ding! Ding! Is anyone is still awake in those pews? The last days apostasy isn’t coming at some vague point in time in the future … THAT DAY IS ALREADY HERE. Christianity is at an all time low and pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel... most having already turned away from the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints. [SeeThe Signs Of The Times]

Although we do not yet know how exactly Joel’s prophecy will come to pass, the rise and spread of Dominionism and the sheer number of people involved gives one much food for thought. Certainly Joel’s army of locusts devouring everything in it’s path can be compared with the great 'apostasy' that is even now sweeping through the church and devouring everything and almost everyone in it’s path. The heretics, and the Dominionists in particular, are certainly doing a good job of entering in at the windows like thieves, leaving desolation behind them. Not very many seem to be escaping them. Certainly the time frame seems perfect.

However what is certain is that no matter who or what the locusts are in the prophecies of Joel, one unassailable fact stands out.. that the Lord Himself will drive them into the sea causing their stench and foul smell to rise. Who in their right mind would want to be part of “Joel’s Army”???

Unfortunately as Hosea said.. His people are destroyed from lack of knowledge and I am willing to bet that there are hundreds of thousands who have never read past the grandiose claims of their deluded leadership to what God says in His words, will be the fate of this “army”. And here are some of the potential foot soldiers…

Promise Keepers And Joel’s Army Promise Keepers has the potential to be harnessed for the end time warfare being trumpeted by the Dominionist leadership. In other words to become part of “Joel’s Army… a connection that has already been drawn by some of the leaders of both the Dominionist and Promise Keepers Camps.

In a recent interview in response to a question as to whether the Promise keepers could be fulfilling the prophecy in Joel of raising an army, James Ryle answered, 'Yes...300,000 men have come together so far this year under Promise keepers...Never in history have 300,000 men come together except to go to war. These men are gathered for War.” [3]

In a write-up on the book The Days of His Presence Frangipane says,

"The Spirit of the Lord is moving on so many fronts. In just the past ten months we have seen racial reconciliations take place among Southern Baptists in Atlanta; in Memphis, leaders from Pentecostal denominations, once divided along racial lines, are now reunited, while white Evangelical leaders repented with blacks in Chicago. We can truly say the Lord is moving mightily on his people. Mix in the March for Jesus and the 750,000 Promise Keepers, and we are seeing the stage set for what I believe will be the greatest awakening of this century." [4]

Paul Cain spoke at Christ Chapel in Florence, Alabama, and shared a dream he'd received when he was 19 years old. Again, the emphasis was on huge numbers of people in stadiums:

"I had a dream that became a recurring dream, and it was about all the stadiums - and we've told this hundreds and hundreds of times all across America, all over the world, in fact - and I saw these stadiums and football fields, soccer fields and sports arenas, all of them filled with thousands of people, sometimes over 100,000 in each place." (August 30, 1995, evening session)

In the Alabama meeting Cain connected his prediction of stadiums-full of soldiers in his Army of the Lord with the reality of stadiums-full of warriors in the Promise Keepers army. He said,

"We call it the last days ministry,' ...I believe we're on the threshold of it...And I know the Lord is coming to His Church and he's going to prepare us...We're closer to it than we've ever been before. Who would think that there would be a group like Promise Keepers who'd already be setting the stage and filling stadiums with tens of thousands of people, ...They'll be over 100,000 in no time, and maybe they already are. I think an event's already planned that way. So, what if God shows up at just one of those meetings? That could just be the kick-off for `last days ministry.' Think about that...What if 120,000 get together and then the fire comes from heaven and the glory of God..." [4]

A Recipe for DisasterBut how is this possible? How can large groups of Christian men be manipulated to the extent that they actually believe that they are the end time Joel’s Army or God’s “New Breed” raised up to purge all ungodliness in one of the most cruel battles the Church has ever faced, eliminating those that do not agree with the delusional Dominionist leadership. [Read more about this “great end-time army” in Part IX: A Civil War]

Hyped-up emotions do not make godly men, but add hyped up emotions to a stadium brimming over with testosterone. And pile that on top of a distinct lack of doctrinal foundation and what you have is a Recipe For Disaster.

One of the most effective tools used by Hitler’s party was the theatrical mass rally which were primarily propaganda events attended by thousands and often compared to religious revivals. They were glorious pageants that stirred the emotions, and often featured blaring Wagnerian overtures, stirring martial songs, banners, goose-step marches, torchlight processions, bonfires, and magnificent fireworks displays [5]. These rallies had great appeal and usually evoked mass enthusiasm with their message of national destiny and sense of awe and mystery. Songs were sung, slogans were cast about. Hitler himself, who was a charismatic speaker, had an almost hypnotic effect on the German people and often easily worked his audiences up into a state of euphoria and elation. By participating in the rallies, by marching, by shouting heil, and by making the stiff armed salute, the participants took part in a process of self persuasion which strengthened their commitment to the Nazi movement.

Compare this to the Seattle Times description of the 1995 Promise Keepers rally in the Seattle Kingdome

With thousands of men stacked from floor to ceiling, Promise Keepers '95 rolled into the Kingdome last night in a din of music and cheering and with a pledge to help participants become better fathers, husbands and "godly influences" in their communities. The Dome, with some 65,000 men, took on the atmosphere of a huge tent revival as beach balls, balloons and paper airplanes sailed through the air, along with shouts of an obviously enthusiastic crowd. [6]

As said by author Richard Terrell in his book, Resurrecting the Third Reich (Huntington House, 1994),

In his speeches, Hitler would frequently characterize his career in politics as a divine calling led by God and insisted that nazism was more than just a social movement. It was a total worldview, a spirituality, supported by an energetic use of traditional religious words that had, however, become detached from their orthodox, historic meanings. His references to a "thousand year Reich" carried the ring of the biblical millennium.

Dr. Jeremy Wheeler, a trained hypnotherapist, in talking about the reality of hypnotism, touches on how people can lost their individuality in crowd settings, especially when emotions have been stirred to fever pitch.

“Moods and feelings are contagious... A crowd is when the gathering of people are all experiencing similar thoughts and emotions, and this creates an element of collective unconsciousness. Man is a gregarious animal, and his mind can and does lose its individuality and personality when in a crowd setting. This is of course how mobs and riots occur. This is how a skilled politician can sway a crowd. This is how Hitler hypnotized a whole nation. A crowd is dominated by suggestions of which it is unconscious”. [7]

Here are some interesting thoughts on Propaganda by the American Historical Association… [Emphasis in Original]

“The propagandist tries to stimulate others to accept without challenge his own assertions, or to act as he wants them to do. The idea of using suggestion or stimulation as a propaganda device is that it will lead a public to accept a proposition even though there are not logical grounds for accepting it. The propagandist usually tries to side-step critical reactions from his audience, and therefore suggestion is one of his most important tools. How does the propagandist use this tool? By making broad and positive statements. By presenting his statements in simple and familiar language. By refusing to admit, or even suggest, that there is another side to the question. [8]

But considering, as we have seen, Joel’s Army is a devouring army of locusts raised up by God to bring judgment upon the land, and who will be destroyed by God Himself, perhaps they are right in calling themselves Joel’s Army..

In his book The Three Battlegrounds, Francis Frangipane makes a very ironic statement…

“Many believers have been taught that, because they have the Holy Spirit, they cannot be deceived. This also is untrue. One reason the Spirit of Truth was sent was because we so easily fall into self-deception. In fact, the very though that a Christian cannot be deceived is itself a deception” [9]

The above statement leaves one scratching one’s head because the first Biblical record of Satan’s interaction with man consisted of the lie ‘You shall be as Gods [Genesis 3:5]. In the words of Albert Barnes..

“The special attraction, however, which the forbidden tree presented, was not its excellence for the appetite or pleasantness to the eyes, since these were common to all the trees, but its supposed power of conferring moral knowledge on those who partook of it, and, according to the serpent’s explanation, making them like God in this important respect….The desire of knowledge, and the ambition to be in some sense, divine, are alone special and prevalent as motives.”

One would expect that some six thousand years later.. in a technologically advanced, ‘educated’ society Satan’s lies would perforce be far more sophisticated.

Sadly this isn’t the case. All he has had to do is take the same old dusty lie down from the shelf, give it bit of a spit shine and hand it back to man who has, once again, willingly embraced it. Millions around the world are staking their all on the greatest and oldest delusion ever foisted on humanity… You shall be as Gods. We haven’t done the first thing to make his task more difficult.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. [2 Corinthians 11:3]

Much of Dominionism teaches or implies that the perfection, immortality and glorification of the elect can be attained here on earth, before Jesus comes again. Yet, the Bible states that very few will be prepared when Jesus comes… epitomized by the rhetorical question asked by Jesus in Luke 18:8

“when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

…With a Diabolical Twist

However this time around the lie has taken on far more sinister proportions. This time we do not have one couple reaching out to a forbidden tree. This time we have the potential for millions of so called believers to turn on their fellows in what has been described as a “Civil War”. Under the delusion that they are God’s end time army and an instrument of His judgement, they believe the “slaughter” will begin in the temple with the elders… the leaders of His people, and then to the church at large. This “impending civil war” will be over the institution of slavery, which as been defined as “any organization including denominations or movements, that are holding their people in spiritual bondage”. In other words any Christian who does not bow to this foolish doctrine is considered to be in spiritual bondage and a cancer that has to be removed. [See more about this Civil War in Section 8].

This is likely to be no less than a fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy when He spoke of a tremendous persecution for Christians inMatthew 10: 21-22 and John 16:1-3. The most chilling of Jesus’ words are “but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”

It is easy to see how the “Manifest Sons of God” or “Joel’s Army” could bring about the fulfillment of this end time Biblical prophecy of internal strife, betrayal and bloodshed in the church..

However if they have thought about it at all, there is one point that seemingly has not occurred to them, and that is when Jesus made the predictions He did, He was speaking to true Christian believers, telling them that they would be killed by those that “have not known the Father or Me”.

The WarningMake no mistake.. I am sure that there are sincere believers who have become involved in the Dominionist movement, perhaps because they are unaware of or deceived about some of the teachings, the subterfuge involved and the extent to which some of the leaders are willing to go... But God has commanded us to examine all teachings by the light of His Word, holding on only to those that are good and discarding those that do not stand when held up to the light.

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; [1Thessalonians 5:21]

If you really believe in a long period of peace and prosperity that precedes the return of Christ I suggest you seriously re-think your views. The dangers in believing that the millennium will precede the coming of Christ lies in the fact that, although it is true that there is going to be a time of relative prosperity and peace on this earth before Jesus returns, it will not be righteous Godly kingdom, but one established by the antichrist. Rick Joyner said a mouthful when he wrote…

The beast is the embodiment of religion that originates in the mind of man. It comes up out of the earth in contrast to Christ who comes down out of heaven." [10]

And

Many who feel called to attack and tear down the old institutions and denominations will not be sent from God. There will be “stumbling blocks” circulating in the church who will cause confusion and some destruction from time to time. They will perceive themselves as prophets sent to judge and deliver, but they will in fact be sent by the evil one to divide and destroy. [11]

He got that right. This entire Dominion scenario certainly originated in the mind of men and though they perceive themselves as prophets, they are sent by none other than the evil one.

The New Age’s Accurate Description of the ChurchI have said it before and I will say it again.. While the New Agers are so wrong about so much, I often wonder why it is that they often seem to have their finger on the spiritual pulse of this world far more than we have. Perhaps it is because they are faithful to the demons/spirits that communicate with them and we have ignored the God who has communicated with us. In Externalization Of The Hierarchy, New Age Theosophist Alice Bailey perfectly describes the situation in so much of the church today with a twist that I whole heartedly believe. She said.. [Emphasis Added]

"What the orthodox theologian and the narrow doctrinaire have to offer no longer satisfies the intelligent seeker or suffices to answer his questions. He is shifting his allegiances into wider and more spiritual areas. He is moving out from under doctrinal authority and to direct personal, spiritual experience and coming under the direct authority which contact with Christ and His disciples, the masters, gives" (Externalization Of The Hierarchy).

The twist is that her Christ has nothing to do with Jesus of the Bible, and the masters she talks about are no more than fallen angels.. or demons. If you do not know anything about Alice Bailey and the Lucis trust she founded, or the ascended masters that much of the world gives allegiance to.. I strongly suggest you read…

A Better Society Without The Gospel? If any born again believer is not thoroughly dissatisfied with our broken world and does not long for the everlasting kingdom of peace promised by God, I would truly wonder what brand of Christianity they subscribe to. The Reconstructionist side accuses the church as being far too wrapped up in eternity to care about what is happening right now on planet earth, asking

“ If these are the Last Days, then why bother trying to fix a broken world that is about to be thrown on the ash heap of history? Why concern ourselves with education, healthcare, the economy, or peace in the Mideast? Why polish brass on a sinking ship?”

But that is not entirely true. Christians are supposed to care about the world around them and so what ever they can to improve conditions including seeking political office. Proverbs 29:2 does tell us that better for the righteous to rule than the wicked. In the words of Robert Bowman.. [All Emphasis Added]

“..It is certainly better for the righteous to rule than the wicked (Proverbs 29:2). Thus, while I disagree with the claim that the church's mandate is to take dominion, I also disagree with those who criticize any attempt to establish "the rule of the righteous" (as television commentator Bill Moyers has put it). My point is that the church's main responsibility is evangelism and discipleship, not political activism. Christians should exercise righteous "dominion" when the opportunity presents itself, and doing so does not require compromise with Christian principles. But the church has no general mandate from Christ to seek or achieve worldwide or even nationwide political dominion before His return.

It is through the propagation of the gospel and the building of the church, not through politics and the renewal of America, that we are promised that even "the gates of hell shall not prevail" (Mat. 16:18). To demand a return to an alleged "Judeo-Christian ethic" with the unbiblical expectation that the moral quality of our nation will thereby improve is to waste precious time,energy and resources that should be channeled instead to fulfilling Christ’s "great commission." [12]

The fact of the matter is that it is, for the most part, a complete waste of time to work at social change without a radical transformation of character that only comes about through the person and gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the only true hope for dealing with the world's problems, since it is only through Him that we are transformed into new creations from the very depths of our beings. Anything else is almost always white wash. [See Repentance, Salvation and being Born Again]

We Are A Kingdom Of Priests, Not A Kingdom Of Politicians

The Example of JesusThe following is an excerpt from an interesting article called The Christian's Responsibility to Government, by John Macarthur who makes some very relevant points.

In the time that Jesus came into the world taxes were exorbitant, and those who worked in the taxing process who sold themselves to Rome for money, exacted exorbitant taxes out of the people, overcharged them. In fact, you remember don't you, that Zacchaeus when he was converted, immediately said I'll do what? I'll pay back everything I've extorted how many times? Fourfold. Which was rather typical of the kind of thing that went on. Tax collectors were extortioners.

So there were unjust taxes. There was unjust rule that heard nothing from the people. In fact, Caesar August decreed that all the world should be taxed, and tried to collect an exact from everyone.

Furthermore, Jesus came to His people, the Jews, in a very unique situation for them. They were chattel for the Romans. They were an underprivileged and oppressed minority. They had no voice in Roman government, they had to pay heavy taxes to their Roman taskmasters. Now that's the world Jesus came into. They didn't even know anything about democracy. About voting. About certain "freedoms" that we enjoy.

And what did Jesus say? He said this. "Render to Caesar," what? "The things that are Caesar's." You give the government its due. And to God, what? The things that are God's.

He did not come with power and force to overthrow the Roman tyranny. He did not seek social change. He did not attempt to eliminate slavery. He did not come with political or economic issues at stake. They were not the concern of his life and Ministry. He did not come to bring new government, to bring democracy, to wave the flag of Judaism, even. His appeal was ever and always to the hearts of individual men and women. Not their political freedoms. Not their rights under government.

He did not participate in civil rights. He did not crusade to abolish injustice. He preached a saving Gospel. So that once a man's soul or a woman's soul is right with God, it matters very little what the externals are. He was not interested in a new social order, but in a new spiritual order - the church. And he mandated the church to carry on the same kind of Ministry. [13]

In closing, Peters words are as good now as they were so many years ago…

“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.” (1 Peter 3:113-16 NKJV)